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[Official Guidance]
HHS Releases Draft Application for Early Retiree Claims
Excerpt: "Information that employers will have to provide, according to the draft application, includes an estimate of how much they expect to receive in reimbursement during a two-year period and the programs employers have in place to reduce the cost of chronic and high-cost conditions, which are defined as a condition for which $15,000 or more in health care claims are likely to be incurred by one plan participant. In addition, plan sponsors have to provide information on how they plan to use the reimbursement."
(Business Insurance)

[Guidance Overview]
Overview of 'Grandfathered Plans' Issues (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "A related question will be whether or not states may change state laws governing grandfathered plans, and if so, whether compliance with these changes would cause plans to lose their grandfathered status. These questions are likely to be resolved during the regulatory process by [HHS]."
(National Association of Insurance Commissioners)

Evidence That Consumers Are Skeptical About Evidence-Based Health Care
Excerpt: "Few consumers understood terms such as 'medical evidence' or 'quality guidelines.' Most believed that more care meant higher-quality, better care. The gaps in knowledge and misconceptions point to serious challenges in engaging consumers in evidence-based decision making."
(Health Affairs)

Federal Retiree Health Claims Program Leader Named
Excerpt: "Richard Popper, a former Maryland health insurance official, has been named to run a federal program created by the health insurance reform law that will provide claims reimbursement to employers that offer early retiree health insurance coverage."
(Business Insurance)

HR Takes on Health Claim Help Responsibility
Excerpt: "The majority of human resources professionals recently polled agreed with the notion that they have a professional responsibility to help employees sort out problems with their health insurance."
(PLANSPONSOR.com)

[Opinion]
Examining the New Long-Term Care Federal Entitlement Program
Excerpt: "Employers who choose to participate have the option to automatically enroll their employees and to deduct the premiums from their paychecks. Individual employees will be allowed to opt out, and those who work for nonparticipating employers will have the option to enroll individually."
(National Center for Policy Analysis)

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